


There's a Geiger in the Terrarium

by Asher_Ephraim



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Lizards, M/M, Mitaka Week 2018, Pets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-25
Updated: 2018-07-25
Packaged: 2019-06-16 08:17:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15432831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asher_Ephraim/pseuds/Asher_Ephraim
Summary: For Day 4 of Mitaka Week. Theme: AdoptionIt's their anniversary, and Hux gets Mitaka a pet. It isn't the sort the lieutenant was expecting.





	There's a Geiger in the Terrarium

“Is that a—a geiger?” Dopheld asks, eyebrows raised in near-horror.  
         “Yes.” Hux is still holding the cover that had hidden the contents of the box that arrived in their quarters a few hours ago. The general is smiling a bit proudly at the gift reveal.  
         “But, sir—” At times of stress, Mitaka still reverts to formality, even at home. “Aren’t they called land piranhas?”  
         All too casually, Hux dismisses this statement. “On occasion. But look at its _face_.”  
         Peering into the glass, Dopheld forces himself to comply with the suggestion. Its face, like the rest of it, looks rather vicious. Cold, beady eyes, snub nose, the hint of razor-sharp teeth. It meets its captor’s gaze with what appears to be steady resolve, as though telepathically communicating, _I know you put me in here—and I shall have my revenge._  
         Standing back to break off the staring contest, Dopheld inquires, “What will we feed it?”  
         “Oh, they eat pretty much anything. Anything meat, that is.”  
         This is kriffing fantastic. It’s their two-year anniversary and while they had been discussing a pet, Mitaka was envisioning a puppy or kitten. Not a miniature Hell-lizard. “Well, it looks comfy in the terrarium.” Does it? The creature is now pacing back and forth along the perimeter like a POW searching for a weakness in the prison fence. But the cage is roomy and filled with natural rocks, a cave-like alcove, and a pool of clear water.  
         “Yes, it’s all been meticulously researched.”  
         “Of course.” Dopheld mentally kicks himself for breaking things off with Thanisson all that time ago. The Chief Petty Officer would certainly have gotten him a dog. Something warm and pettable that didn’t have the eyes of a contract killer. But _no_ , Mitaka couldn’t possibly end up with someone normal and balanced. Instead he just _had_ to pursue Armitage Flipping Hux.  
         “But the important question, Dopheld, is what shall we name it? It’s male, by the way, as the females tend to become exceptionally aggressive in captivity.”  
         Blinking stupidly, Dopheld equivocates. “I’ll have to consider it. Names are important, after all.” At this exact juncture, he’s tempted to call the little monster Armitage just to drive his frustration home.

 

Two days later, Mitaka settles on naming the geiger Elris, after a legendary demigod credited with conjuring an entire city out of dust in a single day and celebrating by eating his entire family that night. Hux thinks it’s an excellent name because Elris has come to be a sort of mythical patron of engineers. Dopheld lets him believe that’s the entirety of the reasoning behind his choice.  
         After a month, Hux lets Elris out of his terrarium for the first time, and the lizard scuttles across the floor at astonishing speed, heading straight for the kitchenette. Unfortunately Dopheld’s bare feet are directly in its trajectory. But Elris just clambers across his vulnerable toes, the scrape of claws between tickling and painful, and continues on the all-important quest for meat.  
         Hux stands in the kitchen, rewarding him with thin strips of bacon. With each piece, Elris lets out a subtle chirp of joy. The general mimics the noise to the best of his ability. Dopheld finds himself laughing so hard he’s wiping tears out of his eyes at the whole ridiculous scene.  
         After everyone survives two weeks of excursions such as the one above with no blood spilled, Elris is freed from the terrarium whenever Hux is home. Dopheld learns to feed it treats, carefully keeping his fingertips folded back to prevent accidents from over-enthusiasm or sheer bloody-mindedness. The lieutenant is no longer terrified of the devil, but he doesn’t trust him, either. Elris may be small, but he comes from unbroken generations of tenacious predators.  
         It comes to the point where Mitaka is no longer excruciatingly aware of Elris’ location at every moment when they’re home. One evening Dopheld curls up against Hux’s chest on the couch as they watch an installment of an historical spy thriller. During a gritty interrogation scene, Dopheld feels a scrabbling up his arm and freezes, preparing to meet his Maker.  
         Hux chuckles from behind him as Elris perches on Dopheld’s shoulder, hooks his claws in, and settles down.  
         “Can you reach your comm?” Hux asks quietly. “Because I think we need documentation of this.”  
         Painstakingly, Dopheld reaches into the pocket of his pyjama pants and extricates his device. From that point, it’s easy to snap a picture of the three of them, the two officers and their little monster, all watching the screen.


End file.
